


Summer in the Slums

by stormbringerstrife (LovelyLessie)



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Caretaking, F/M, Seizures, Sick Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-04
Updated: 2019-07-04
Packaged: 2020-06-08 18:06:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19475887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LovelyLessie/pseuds/stormbringerstrife
Summary: Zack visits Aerith on a hot summer day to help her sell flowers at the park. However, their day together is cut short when Aerith falls ill.





	Summer in the Slums

Summer in the slums may be safe from the sun and the haze that forms where it filters through the layer of steam the reactors put off, but it’s still almost unbearable, the air thick and heavy from the heat trapped under the plate with no way to escape. It’s hard to even breathe, and he’s barely been down there ten minutes before Zack is sweating through his uniform and wishing he’d come down in the evening instead, during actual rest hours when he wouldn’t have to wear it. Sure, he’d be bored now, with nothing to do during his limited free time besides hide in the cool of his apartment and play games, but boredom might be preferable to this stuffy, sweltering heat. 

Still, he’s here to see Aerith, and that’s worth more than a little heat, no matter how uncomfortable the pullover sweater is at this temperature. Thinking of that is enough to put a smile back on his face and a spring back in his step as he heads for the church in Sector 5, and he hums to himself along the way, happy just to know he’ll get to spend some time with her. 

The church is a small building, not much more than a house with a steeple tower attached, but it’s still lovely and elegant among the shabby buildings surrounding it, with tendrils of ivy creeping up the walls, the only burst of green among the grey and brown. He bounds up the small steps to the door and pushes it open to peek inside. Aerith is at the far end of the aisle, tending to the flowers growing up through the broken and rotted floorboards, so focused that she doesn’t notice him come in.

“Hey, Aerith!” he calls with a wave. 

She lifts her head, startled, and the smile that spreads across her face makes his heart stumble and skip a beat, fluttering in his chest to catch up as he recovers. “Zack!” she says, beaming, and gets to her feet. “You didn’t say you’d be free today.”

“Only for a few hours,” he says, “and only if I don’t get called on a mission. But I wanted to say hi while I can!”

“I’m glad you came,” she says, and runs over to give him a hug. “How are you doing? You’ve been so busy lately, is everything alright?”

“The guys up top keep throwing more missions at me, but mostly just busywork,” he says, laughing. “Guess I’m less of a problem when I’ve got things to do.”

“Oh, don’t say that!” she says, shaking her head. “You should behave yourself. You’ll have more chances to come down here if they aren’t always sending you off on errands.”

“Maybe if I spend all my free time with you, they won’t keep sending me on so many errands,” he replies, grinning. “As long as something keeps me out of the way, right?”

She giggles, her nose crinkling up from how big her smile is. “I wouldn’t mind,” she says, “as long as you’ll help me selling flowers.”

“Of course I will,” he says, “but listen, it’s hot outside today. What do you think about hanging out inside this time?”

“It’s hot in here, too, silly,” she says. “It’s hot  _ all _ the time during the summer.”

“I know, I know,” he says. “So I was thinking maybe, uh…”

He trails off, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly as his head catches up to his mouth and he realizes what he’s saying. He can’t just invite her over - he hasn’t even gotten a chance to take her to the city, so bringing her straight to his apartment seems a little fast. Not that other guys in SOLDIER don’t have girls up to their rooms all the time, but that’s different. Aerith isn’t just some  _ girl, _ she’s  _ Aerith,  _ and his  _ girlfriend. _

“Hmm?” she asks after a moment, snapping him out of his thoughts. She’s watching him with bright, curious eyes, and he feels his cheeks heat up a little, though he hopes she can’t tell. 

“Well - my place has climate control,” he says sheepishly. “I mean, we don’t have to do that, if you don’t want! But it might be nice to - to just hang out somewhere cooler, and, I don’t know…”

“Oh,” she says, looking away, and his heart sinks like a rock in a pond. “That’s really sweet of you, but I…”

“No, it’s okay,” he says quickly. “I don’t want you to feel like you  _ have _ to -”

“Just not today, alright?” she says. “Maybe another time.” She must see his disappointment when she looks up, because she hurries to add, “It’s just that, well - it’s different, up there, isn’t it? So big, and with so many people, and I haven’t had time to….”

That, at least, he can understand, and he smiles as he throws his arm around her shoulders. “Good point. I don’t want you to get too overwhelmed.”

“But you’ll come sell flowers with me, won’t you?” she asks. “I was just checking on them to see which ones were in full bloom.”

“Of course I will,” he says. “Here, I’ll help carry the ones that are ready!”

He follows her to the flower patch and watches as she carefully cuts the brightest ones from their stems to hand over, filling his arms with yellow lilies. When she’s satisfied that she’s collected all the best blooms, she stands up and turns to look at him, her cheeks pink and her eyes sparkling. “Oh,” she says, laughing, “you look so -”

She breaks off, hesitating, her blush spreading over her nose as she looks away, embarrassed.

“What?” he asks, grinning through the bunch of flowers he’s holding. 

“So...charming, with all those,” she says. “I bet every girl in town would want to get a flower from you.”

“Well, you know I’ll only give them out for a  _ fair  _ price,” he says, and winks. 

“Zack!” she says, laughing, and swats his arm lightly. He pokes his tongue out through his teeth, laughing with her. When he goes to catch his breath, a faceful of floral fragrance and yellow pollen sticks in his nose and tickles, and he sneezes, which only makes Aerith dissolve again into helpless giggling. 

“Come on,” he says, “we should get going, before they start to wilt in this weather.”

She nods and runs to grab a basket that’s sitting on one of the pews. “Here,” she says, holding it out. “Put them in here, I’ve been using this to sell them at the park since you still haven’t made me that wagon.”

“I will, I will!” he assures her as he puts the flowers into the basket. “I just need a real day off to do it, when I know I won’t get called in for a mission.”

“You should ask for a vacation!” she says. “Don’t you know everyone important up there?”

“Not well enough to ask for that!” he protests. “I think the director would just give me even  _ more _ work.”

“I thought being 1st Class gave you authority,” she says lightly as she leads the way out of the church and towards the park. “Are you telling me even that big hero we hear about down here doesn’t get vacations?”

“What, you mean Sephiroth?” he asks, and scoffs. “Man, I don’t even wanna talk about it. He gets  _ everything _ he wants.”

“I guess you still have a ways to go, huh?” she asks, giving him a mischievous smile. “But don’t worry, I’m cheering for you!”

He catches his breath as his heart skips and jumps, feeling like there’s sunlight flooding his chest even down here. 

They make it to the park after a few more minutes of walking, and Aerith finds a place to sit down with the basket on her lap, looking around for anyone passing by. “Flowers for sale!” she calls when she sees a little girl and her mother walking down the road. “Flowers to brighten your day? Just one gil each!”

“Mama, can I?” asks the little girl, tugging on her mother’s hand. 

“Well,” the woman says, frowning.

Zack grabs a flower and approaches, dropping to the girl’s height as he gets close to hold it out. “Here,” he says. “It’s a special sale, just for a cute little princess like you.”

“Zack!” Aerith calls, clearly flustered. “Don’t scare off my customers!”

“I’m not!” he says, and grins eagerly up at the mother. “One gil instead of three, just for you two?”

“Please, Mama,” the girl begs, looking up with wide eyes. 

“Alright,” the woman says with a sigh and a faint smile, and reaches for her bag. “Do you want to buy it, sweetheart?”

The little girl takes a coin from her mother’s hand and holds it out to Zack, and he hands over the flower, patting her on the head as he gets to his feet. “Thanks for buying!” he says, and waves as they both continue down the street.

They manage to sell a few more flowers over the next hour or so - one to a scrawny young man with slicked-back hair, one to a woman bringing groceries home in a bag, even one to a man in a suit Zack swears he’s seen around the Shinra building before - before he notices how Aerith is starting to flag. Her face is paler than usual, and she doesn’t have the energy she did when they first arrived.

“Hey,” he says, running over to her side and sitting down next to her. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she murmurs. “It’s...just the heat.”

“You wanna go back to the church?” he asks, resting a hand carefully on her shoulder. “I think maybe it’s a little cooler in there, maybe that’ll help you feel better.”

She hesitates and nods, holding tight to the flower basket. “Maybe,” she agrees.

“Here,” he says, offering his arm. “Let me help you up.” 

He can feel her shaking a little as he pulls her to her feet, but he doesn’t want to mention it; she’s clearly trying so hard to seem like she’s alright, and it feels like it would be cruel more than anything to point out that she’s not. Instead he just puts his arm around her shoulders to walk with her slowly, ready to catch her if she stumbles but content otherwise to let her manage on her own. She’s a tough girl, he reminds himself, though it doesn’t quite silence the worry nagging at the back of his mind. She can take care of herself. 

They’re halfway back to the church when she stops, looking unsteady on her feet and leaning against his side. “Aerith?” he asks, looking over at her and moving his hand to support her if she falls, but rather than swaying on her feet she’s leaning just to one side, her spine straight and her shoulders suddenly tense under his arm. 

She makes a faint sound in her throat, but doesn’t answer, and despite the heat he feels a chill go through him. The look on her face is foreign and eerily blank, her eyes unfocused and her mouth half-open as she presses up against him.

“Aer? You okay?” he asks again, and her whole body  _ jerks, _ her head twisting sideways and slamming into his ribs. 

He grabs her under the arm as she spasms again and pitches forward, collapsing against him as her knees give out. His heart is pounding in his throat, but he tries to keep himself steady as he slowly lowers her to the ground, checking first for any rocks or bits of scrap and refuse that could hurt her. When he reaches for her hand, her fingers close tight around his and won’t relax, her nails biting into the side of his hand. 

“Okay, there we go,” he says, trying to keep his voice steady as he lays her down on her back. “You’re gonna be okay, I’m here.” He’s never seen anything like  _ this _ happen, but he knows what he’d do if a fellow SOLDIER or infantryman was sick or injured suddenly out in the field - stay calm, try to keep them stable, and get help as soon as he could. 

Of course, it’s harder to stay calm when all he expected to happen was a few hours of time spent quietly with his girlfriend. In the field, he has to be  _ ready _ for something to go wrong, but now he’s reeling from it, like the ground’s been swept out from under his feet and he’s falling. 

“Okay, okay, okay,” he mutters, trying to reassure himself as much as Aerith. She gasps and whimpers as her head jerks, closed eyes flickering rapidly behind the lids. Cursing himself for not thinking faster, he carefully lifts her shoulders with one hand so he can slide the other under her head. At least that should make sure she doesn’t crack her skull on the ground, though he can’t help worrying he may have been too late to stop her getting a concussion. 

If they were in Midgar proper, he’d tell someone to call a medic, but down here he knows there’s no one to call. People in Sector 5 come to Aerith when they need healing or patching up, he’s seen them at the church coming to visit her, and if anyone else even  _ might _ be able to help her, he doesn’t know who it would be. All he can do is sit next to her, cradling her head in his hand and waiting for the spasms wracking her body to stop. 

A minute later she takes a shuddering breath and then goes limp, slumping to the ground with her cheek pressing into his hand. He stares, trying to breathe in time with the slight rise and fall of her chest, but he doesn’t actually start to relax until she stirs and opens her eyes.

“Zack…?” she asks, dazed, her voice unsteady. “Wh...what…?”

“Shh, shh, don’t try to talk,” he says. “Just lay down for a minute, okay? Don’t try to get up yet.”

She blinks at him slowly and nods. 

“Are you okay?” he asks, reaching for her hand. 

“Umm,” she says, frowning. “I...think so.”

“Take it easy,” he says as she tries to sit up. “Don’t push yourself too hard.”

“I’m okay,” she assures him, though her voice is still small and uncertain. 

“Has that ever happened before?” he asks. “The - the - I think you passed out, and then…”

“A couple of times,” she says quietly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t - I didn’t want you to see…”

“You should’ve said you weren’t feeling right,” he says softly, brushing her bangs back from her face. 

“It’s not really that serious,” she says, giving him a shaky smile. “I don’t want you to worry, I’m okay now, see?”

“You just collapsed and had a fit,” he says, shaking his head. “Of course I’m gonna worry.”

“Don’t be silly,” she says. “I’ve had them before, and I’m fine otherwise, aren’t I?” 

He raises an eyebrow at her, but doesn’t argue. “You think you can get up?” he asks, offering his hand. 

She nods and takes his arm as she pulls herself to her feet. He puts his arm around her shoulders again to support her, and tugs on her hand to let her arm rest around his waist. “I’m fine now,” she says, but she doesn’t pull away. 

“Let’s get you back to the church, at least,” he says. “Unless you’d rather go home? I can take you home, too, if you want.”

“The church is fine,” she says with a faint smile. “I’m...really sorry, Zack. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Don’t worry about it so much,” he says giving her a small smile. “Let’s just get you inside, alright?”

She leans against him as they make their way up the road, back towards the church, walking slowly so she doesn’t have to rush to keep up. A block away, she shudders and goes tense, spasms wracking her shoulder and arm again. He holds her hand tightly, ready to catch her if she falls, but though she leans against him heavily she manages to keep her footing.

“I’m sorry,” she murmurs again after a moment, looking down at the ground. “I don’t want you to have to take care of me.” 

“I don’t  _ have _ to take care of you,” he says, giving her a worried look. “I want to. You’re - well, important to me.” 

He can feel himself blushing as he says it, thinking he could say more than that if he wasn’t so nervous to admit it, but he hopes she doesn’t look up long enough to see it. If she does, she’s polite enough not to say anything, or else just too tired. All she says in return is the faintest murmur of, “Thank you, Zack.” 

“Of course,” he says, hugging her closer. “I mean it, you know! I want to look after you.”

They have to stop once more when she jerks and starts to seize, but it only lasts a few seconds this time, and they reach the church after a few more minutes. He leads her gently inside, helping her down the aisle to sit down beside the flowers. She pulls on his hand to make him sit down next to her and leans against his side, her fingers laced between his. 

“I’ll be alright now,” she says, squeezing his hand tightly. “You really don’t need to worry.” 

“Does that happen a lot?” he asks. “Do you know why it happened just now?” 

“Shh,” she says, reaching up to press a finger against his mouth, silencing him. “Just… sit here with me, okay?” 

“Okay,” he agrees, and she closes her eyes as she rests her head on his shoulder. 

“It doesn’t happen often,” she says after a few long moments. “Just a few times before. I sort of… hoped I’d outgrown them, but…”

“What causes it?” he asks. 

She shrugs, shaking her head. “I don’t know. I’ve never known, they just… happen, sometimes.”

“That’s pretty scary,” he says, rubbing her shoulder with one hand. 

“Not really,” she replies. “I can usually tell when they’re going to happen, so it’s not such a shock.”

“Not today, though?” he asks, frowning. “Isn’t that bad?”

“Well,” she says, looking off to the side, her teeth worrying at her lip.

“Aerith,” he says, frowning harder.

“I didn’t want you to worry!” she says quickly. “I thought maybe the heat was just getting to me, I didn’t want…” 

She trails off, turning her face away as her shoulders slump a little.

“I didn’t want you to know about it,” she finishes very quietly. “I don’t want you to have to worry, or - or think something’s wrong with me, or…”

His chest goes tight and he feels like his heart is breaking. “I want to look out for you,” he says. “I can’t have you making yourself sick or getting hurt just because you want to seem tough. I already know you’re tough.”

“It’s not that,” she says, shaking her head, “it’s just -”

“What?” he prompts when she doesn’t finish.

“Well, you came all the way down here to see me, and I know you don’t have much time,” she says with a shaky smile. “I don’t want to waste it by being sick.” She sighs and leans against his shoulder again, closing her eyes. “Just don’t worry about me so much, alright?”

“Only if you promise you’ll say something next time,” he says sternly, or as sternly as he can manage with Aerith. “I can’t be here to take care of you if I don’t know something’s wrong.”

She hesitates before nodding. “Okay,” she says. “If it will make you stop worrying, I’ll let you know.”

“Good,” he says, pulling her close and leaning his head against hers. “Even if it means we stay here and relax, I don’t mind. It doesn’t matter to me what we  _ do _ , any time I spend with you isn’t wasted.”

She laughs at that, pressing her face into his shoulder to hide her blush, but not before he sees her cheeks turn pink. “Don’t be silly!” she says, hugging him tightly. “You’re just flattering me, that’s all.”

“No way!” he says, grinning, and tugs lightly on a loose curl of her hair, making her giggle again as she tries to bat his hand away. 

“Well, I’m glad you think so,” she says after a moment, smiling at the toes of her shoes, still trying to hide her blushing face. She ducks her head a little, rocking one foot back and forth as she tucks herself shyly into her shoulders, and her voice is very quiet, but he can still just make out her murmur of, “I think so, too.”


End file.
